Take a look into the process of our most recent collab with Jockey—from conception to completion, we find out how the collection came to life with the help of our in-house color analyst Nikki and her idea for a "sun faded" collection.

Explain the process for deciding on these colors + what execution was like.

I went into the collection thinking about the season, products, customer use, and the overall “sun faded” idea we were feeling for. I then went through rounds of color research to build out a strong color mood to provide context for the inspiration. From there I was passed blank white samples that I then over-dyed to execute the colors.

Since I received multiple blank samples, I over-dyed a number of different colors from the mood to view various range options. Knowing the colors are to be faded, I experimented with the time in each dye bath and the rinse wash after to get various shades and unevenness in color for that faded/washed out look.

What was your inspiration for this collection? As mentioned, initial thoughts started with "sun faded” but wanting to conceptually expand on that idea, I drew more inspiration from other elements. Keeping in mind the end use is to be intimate apparel, I wanted to capture cozy and familiar through the coloration as these items are meant to be close.

In connection to that from the color mood, I was particularly inspired by imagery of worn-out colorful stones like the ones you can find at a beach, cotton candy sunsets that you see on a summer days end and washed out knits as if they had sat out in the sun for too long. All these elements evoke the familiar and with that said, we landed on a rainbow-like range showcasing a spectrum of faded brights with a washed out feel that was soft, subtle yet colorful.

What was your favorite part about working on this collection?My favorite part was the overall collaboration for this collection. Not only between UO and Jockey but the initial stages when working with our UO buyers (who are absolutely amazing). The creative ideas and efforts came from all angles to make this a success. For everyone to be just as inspired by the color mood made over-dyeing the pieces that much more exciting. To have had an actual hand in the overall collaborative process for Jockey for Urban Outfitters to come to life was incredible.